Lawyer Jim Wirken, who boasted a $1 million book of business when he joined McDowell Rice Smith & Buchanan PC in late October, is back out on his own.

In what may be a cautionary tale for veteran small-firm or solo lawyers who consider joining larger firms, Wirken said he left because of various potential conflicts with clients he’d amassed in 35 years of mostly practicing on his own.

He said that McDowell Rice had “very, very spectacular people” but that the structure of the firm was unsettling for his law practice.

“The bureaucracy was just driving me crazy,” Wirken said. “I left on good terms with everybody. I sold them a bunch of furniture and took all my old files.”

R. Pete Smith, the managing attorney for McDowell Rice, could not be reached for comment.

McDowell Rice, based on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, employs 28 lawyers.

Wirken has a wide-ranging law practice. He represented Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser in a high-profile discrimination lawsuit filed by a former aide that ended with a $30,000 settlement.

In 1993, Wirken founded The Wirken Law Group, a somewhat loose confederation of lawyers working near the Plaza.

Leon Versfeld, an immigration lawyer once affiliated with The Wirken Law Group, said conflicts in larger legal organizations sometimes can sour business for lawyers who join them.

“Especially having worked for so long, then it becomes an analysis of, ‘If I’m missing a $10,000 deal here, are these guys giving me enough work and enough stuff to do to make up for those $10,000?’” Versfeld said. “As an associate, why would you care? You’re going to get paid one way or another. As a partner, the way those things are structured, it may not work in your favor.”

Wirken said he didn’t foresee the client issues when he took up his practice at McDowell Rice.

“There are some benefits, but there was a trade-out,” he said. “At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. ... It’s a very good law firm, and it’s a very competitive environment.”